


Held

by Jak_Spratt



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: But that's not quite it, F/F, Fluff, I wanted to use unrequited Cassandra, Is that even a thing in this fandom?, Mutual Pining, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:20:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29338950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jak_Spratt/pseuds/Jak_Spratt
Summary: Rapunzel realizes a small but significant thing she does whenever Cassandra is around.
Relationships: Cassandra & Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled), Cassandra/Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 58





	Held

Have you ever experienced a moment of complete awareness? You know, when all your senses suddenly awake and they let you know of the thing that you're doing and what it conveys. Like, let’s say, riding a horse. Maybe you've done it a thousand times but on your ride one thousand and one you realize how far from the ground you are, how much the animal weights and measures compared to you, that it has its own will and yet it goes where you're guiding it, but the whole ordeal depends on instructions that you know by heart and do on muscle memory alone, and for a second you forget everything, and you're aware of all, and it's too much, it's scary, you begin to panic, but it passes as soon as it comes and before you ponder on everything you force yourself to go back to that trance away from those scary thoughts.

Got all that? Good.

Because I just experienced that feeling. Not while riding a horse, but by something simpler... and not so much.

We've been traveling in the cart for a while, going across a big patch of forest along a quiet road only accompanied by the chirps of birds and the wind gently rustling the leaves. The guys are inside so Cass and I take the reins. It’s a one-person job, but I’m there without giving an explanation. Do I even need one? I just wanted to give her company.

I was sketching the events from the day before and Cass seemed to enjoy the view and calm while guiding the horses. It’s a lovely quiet moment, we haven’t dared to disturb it yet, and then it hit me…

We’ve been holding hands.

How long have we been like this? Since I hopped on the seat next to her or a few seconds after I noticed? It could be years as far as I’m concerned!

Ha, ha, ha, ha… ha… ha…ha.

This realization also came accompanied by a jolt of electricity going from the union of my hand and hers (which is surprisingly ungloved), it quickly spreaded through my back and finally disseminated to the rest of me. I really don’t want her to notice my shiver or that I’m staring at her. Thankfully, she’s too focused on the road to acknowledge the new red color on my cheeks.

I don’t think she’ll make a note of anything different. I mean, she told me once that my face has… “ _a nice rose tone to it_.”

That was one morning when she helped me with my makeup. I thanked her and gave her a nice compliment too. I said… I said… “ _You have a cute skin too!_ ” Was that weird? Too much? I-I-I really hope she didn’t take it wrong, since Eugene always jokes- no, no, no, relax. She accepted the compliment then giggled and gave me a sincere smile.

Wait… Cassandra giggles? Yes, she does, but not in public… only when we’re alone…

I guess she must feel comfortable enough to do it when I’m with her. I mean, we confided in each other a lot of things so it’s only normal to… grow close. Touching one another has become natural at this point.

Whenever one of us need reassurance we put a hand in the shoulder of the other. Friendly pats, a faux punch on the arm, a playful shove, a quick hug…

Those are best friends’ quirks!

Right…?

If we’re in bed reading a book, we search for each other and lock hands. I even remember one time I did just that while mixing colors and she was sharpening a blade. I didn’t think it was possible to use a whetstone with one hand! We laughed about that sudden absent mindedness.

Even…

Even…

Even when we walk through the streets of Corona, either on official royal businesses or just going for a walk, I remember looking for her hand to hold it. She never, never, even once, rejected it or slapped it away. She holds it too, reassured me that she was there with me, that she wasn’t going to let it go, almost as if she was making me a wordless promise and that it’s not valid unless she gently squeezes my hand… each time.

My lungs now only remember how to give short, irregular breaths. My chest is getting warmer and that increases my heartbeats, so much that they apparently need the help of my throat to compensate.

“ _Hey, everything’s okay? You’ve been staring at me for a while_.”

How is she able to sound so confident? Isn’t she able to know everything I’ve been thinking just by touching my hand with hers-?

Of course not! Don’t be silly! Grab a hold! Well, I’m doing it… Not a handhold!

It’s been one second since she asked, you can do this. You know it’s not your expertise, but you need to lie convincingly, and, for the love of the Sun, don’t trip on your words.

“ _I just noticed I’ve never sketched you with such a beautiful background behind!_ ”

Peppy enough. Covered your well-known hobby. Didn’t called her beautiful even though she deserved that compliment and their synonyms. But will she buy it?

“ _I thought you had enough sketches of me already._ ”

I can breathe now. Even if that crooked smile of hers makes it hard to do. Now you owe her a portrait. Not that it’s difficult, you know her features by memory and can fill an entire portfolio with only the sketches, another with the charcoals, a third one with the water paints, and then pastels, and the oils of course…

Now I’m tightening my grip on her hand and I smile like a fool when she does the same almost immediately. How can I not? My mind races and now my heart tries to keep up with it.

I finally have a name for what I’m feeling. A simple one, one that has a lot of implications given my current status, but I’ve been known as a “follow-you-heart” kind of girl. So, what’s the damage here?

Immediate response: a lot.

But I-I-I need to say it… Say it to her. Let it all out. I feel like I might burst if I don’t.

I open my mouth to express myself, but she’s quicker than me and I’m just hanging on what she’s about to say. Is she aware of my turmoil? Did she come up to the same conclusion?! All of my attention is on her, she even let my hand go. I miss her warmth already, but I know she will make it worthwhile.

Then she started pounding the roof of the cart and yell:

“ _Guys come on up! We’re here!”_

I let out a snort, a mix of good humor and an evident frustration.

I see the next town and we’re only a few minutes from it. That’s not enough time to vent about a day worth of pent-up feelings and how they could affect the future of two of my most cherished relationships.

I’ll gladly leave it to another day.

I try to breathe out the cartwheel of emotions I just went through in the span of a few minutes and looking back at the space between us I found her hand again. It’s not helping her guiding the cart, it’s not really serving any purpose other than waiting, expecting... wanting. I pretend to look to the other side and even chirp along the birds when I hold her hand, but also oh-so-smoothly get closer and rest my head on her shoulder.

Is it… ok?

The small nuzzle she gave with her cheek and the sound of a welcoming chuckle indicates a positive.

Right…?

I really need to sort things out. I just hope she’s smiling as big as I am right now.

**Author's Note:**

> While writing this I realized that most fics depict Cass as being the one yearning and having gay panics, being within her POV and how much she wishes to be Raps' center of the universe. Granted, that's perfection in it of itself, but that also fuels my desire of having a switch and read Rapunzel as the one pining for her knight, blushing whenever she's near, and that sort of stuff because Cassandra is perfectly capable of awakening that kind of feelings just as well as the princess.
> 
> I'm sure there are fics that go around that exact idea, but from what I've been reading they're vastly outnumbered by the ones I mentioned.


End file.
